Thu Apr 19, 2001 10:24am
Subject: exclusions...

speaking to the issue of exclusion, albeit indirectly...

i was fortunate enough to view a videotape recently of interviews with wbai staff in (read this carefully, please)...1996. that's right, 1996.

the issues discussed in the video were frighteningly close to the issues so important today, like pacifica's efforts to destroy the union at wbai.

but the most interesting aspect of the video was the consistency of viewpoint of those interviewed -- people like abby smith, who was one of several who spoke eloquently to the very issues we face today.

many of the "outcasts" who have been excluded from shaping in productive ways the agenda or actions of the "concerned friends" group have been on the scene, doing the right thing, for at least the past 5 years.

thanks to those of you whose actions back then laid the groundwork for, as just one important example, the listeners' lawsuit.

one fundamental "river" i had to cross to arrive at my current beliefs was the dichotomy between what people like abby smith and patty heffley were saying, and what i was hearing (and more importantly, not hearing) from the people associated with wake up call. i chose to value actions over words, and to value more highly the statements of people whose actions were most consistent with their words.

my thanks to you all for your insights, the attention you paid to the situation back then, and -- most of all -- to your persistence.

let's see how the hearing in california goes on 4/20/01...

thank you,
j.biello